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    Castellon 181FinalPaper

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    The document discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected culture in several ways. It notes that social media usage has increased, allowing certain cultural phenomena like "cancel culture" to spread. It also describes how face masks are seen differently by lower and upper classes in the Philippines, with lower classes seeing them as a requirement and upper classes sometimes using particular masks as a status symbol. The document argues that government policies could have been improved by considering local meanings and traditions more to facilitate sustainable changes during the pandemic.

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    Castellon 181FinalPaper

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    Julia
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    The document discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected culture in several ways. It notes that social media usage has increased, allowing certain cultural phenomena like "cancel culture" to spread. It also describes how face masks are seen differently by lower and upper classes in the Philippines, with lower classes seeing them as a requirement and upper classes sometimes using particular masks as a status symbol. The document argues that government policies could have been improved by considering local meanings and traditions more to facilitate sustainable changes during the pandemic.

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    The document discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected culture in several ways. It notes that social media usage has increased, allowing certain cultural phenomena like "cancel culture" to spread. It also describes how face masks are seen differently by lower and upper classes in the Philippines, with lower classes seeing them as a requirement and upper classes sometimes using particular masks as a status symbol. The document argues that government policies could have been improved by considering local meanings and traditions more to facilitate sustainable changes during the pandemic.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    33 views2 pages

    Castellon 181FinalPaper

    Uploaded by

    Julia
    The document discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected culture in several ways. It notes that social media usage has increased, allowing certain cultural phenomena like "cancel culture" to spread. It also describes how face masks are seen differently by lower and upper classes in the Philippines, with lower classes seeing them as a requirement and upper classes sometimes using particular masks as a status symbol. The document argues that government policies could have been improved by considering local meanings and traditions more to facilitate sustainable changes during the pandemic.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Castellon, Julia Antonina P.

    2017 – 00348
    Anthro 181 THR

    The Pandemic Culture

    This pandemic has affected people in different ways. Mainly, my mental health was affected,
    due to academic stress. Unreliable internet connection and resources at the moment has prevented
    me from actively pursuing my requirements. My concern for the nation’s state and its constituents
    has also affected my mental health. Nonetheless, even at this time, there were opportunities for
    volunteering and personal growth (through independent learning).

    At this time, there are several things I’ve noticed regarding culture. Through language,
    cognition, and memory, we can learn/acquire culture (Engelke, 2017). In quarantine, everything is
    online. Hence, people spend more time on social media than they already do. Through memes and
    internet lingo, we see a certain culture being sustained. An example is cancel culture, where people
    on social media withdraw support for public figures after a questionable act (Romano, 2019).
    Internationally, celebrities against the #BlackLivesMatter movement are cancelled. Locally,
    celebrities who support the current administration have been cancelled too. From social media,
    people have learned to even cancel people in real life.

    Class culture becomes evident in this time of pandemic. Objects have context and when
    seen through different cultural glasses, can be considered as status markers (Engelke, 2017). Face
    masks are an example. In general, this is a precaution against coronavirus. However, they are seen
    different by upper and lower classes. For lower classes, they see this more as a requirement rather
    than just a precautionary measure. Personally, I’ve noticed this. Whenever I go out to buy essentials,
    I pass by a checkpoint. So do they. Face masks are worn to pass the checkpoint because it’s required.
    As soon as they’re inside the barangay, they remove the mask. This shows that they see face masks
    more as a constraint. Members of the upper class, however, see face masks as a status symbol. An
    example is Heart Evangelista’s promotion of face masks produced by expensive brands (Madarang,
    2020). A person in a position of power could easily determine what culture is (Engelke, 2017). With
    Evangelista’s actions, other people will want to take part of it because people want to identify with
    this high-class symbol.

    The government could have done better by using public funds better, being transparent,
    continue giving relief goods, and more. Mass testing should have been prioritized. Instead, it became
    a status symbol for the wealthy elite. They should have helped their constituents instead of helping
    themselves. Policies (and their implementation) could have improved has they only considered local
    meanings. Change is sustainable when the society’s institutions are capable of carrying the pace of
    change (Jocano, n.d). People like to live in what they know, and recent policies mean making a clean
    break from that. The unfamiliarity scares people and it doesn’t fit into all the aspects of their lives. If
    local meanings were considered, policies could’ve been improved by making the transition to the
    change more fluid. When it doesn’t come off as big of a shock or disruption to routine, people are
    more likely to adopt and sustain it.

    Word Count: 500

    References:
    - Engelke, M. (2017). How to think like an anthropologist.
    - Jocano, F. (n.d). Cultural Idiom and the Problem of Planned Change: A Case Study from A Philippine Municipality.
    - Madarang, C. (2020). Heart Evangelista shows off ‘new normal’ style amid COVID-19. Here’s how people reacted.
    Retrieved from https://www.interaksyon.com/celebrities/2020/05/21
    /168975/heart-evangelista-shows-off-new-normal-style-amid-covid-19-heres-how-people-reacted/
    - Romano, A. (2019). Why we can’t stop fighting about cancel culture? Retrieved from
    https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate
    References:
    - Engelke, M. (2017). How to think like an anthropologist.
    - Jocano, F. (n.d). Cultural Idiom and the Problem of Planned Change: A Case Study from A Philippine Municipality.
    - Madarang, C. (2020). Heart Evangelista shows off ‘new normal’ style amid COVID-19. Here’s how people reacted.
    Retrieved from https://www.interaksyon.com/celebrities/2020/05/21
    /168975/heart-evangelista-shows-off-new-normal-style-amid-covid-19-heres-how-people-reacted/
    - Romano, A. (2019). Why we can’t stop fighting about cancel culture? Retrieved from
    https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate

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